New Zealand: Landscape Paradise in Autumn

Join us on our ten day photographic journey through one of the most beautiful places on the planet, New Zealand‘s South Island. You‘ll be expertly guided by Muench Workshops pro Juan Pons and local guide Neil Protheroe. You‘ll photograph warm autumn colors against stunning glaciated mountains, seacoasts, lakes, braided rivers, alpine meadows, lush green rainforests, and waterfalls.

We’ll begin our journey in Queenstown and head directly for the picturesque lakeside town of Wanaka. We‘ll visit the countryside around Wanaka on our first morning sunrise shoot and follow that up with some of our famous image reviews and composition lessons that will help prepare you for the trip ahead. Then we’ll take a guided 4x4 drive up to photograph in remote private lands overlooking Lake Wanaka and the Matukituki River valley. Included is a helicopter safari up to the glaciers where you‘ll capture images of Mount Aspiring from the glacier ice. We’ll then have a full day photographing the spectacular autumn colors of the woodlands and countryside around Wanaka.

We’ll cross the alpine divide to South Westland, a World Heritage Area, where we’ll have two days photographing the Southern Alps, glacial kettle lakes, rainforests, and beaches of the wild West Coast. As if you haven‘t seen enough, we‘ll venture back to the Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki-Mount Cook National Park, where we spend our final three nights on the east side of the mountain to photograph and explore the amazing glacial valleys, lakes and rivers, colored by the glaciers. Weather permitting, we’ll have an opportunity to fly helicopters with the doors off. You‘ll photograph Mount Cook in early sunrise light, and the amazing braided rivers of the Tasman and Godley Rivers. This flight will blow you away. We will then return to Queenstown for some afternoon and sunset shooting, before checking into our hotel and enjoying a farewell dinner.

This workshop is for any level of photographer, and non-photographing significant others are welcome! There are no strenuous hikes or climbs on this workshop, but you should be able to walk a mile comfortably, and carry your photography gear. Our group is small, only 8 guests maximum. Most workshops by others have 10, 12, or more! Plan on loads of personal instruction and a great time.

Logistics were excellent. Just the right amount of travel and the heli rides were awesome. Very helpful in seeing. This is a continued learning process that never ends. Great help in technical approaches. Field instruction was very helpful.

— Ken Feeser, New Zealand 17'

I appreciate how well organized and executed this event was. Juan was a great teacher, always supportive, very knowledgeable, funny and talented. He paid close attention to all students and met our various experience levels. As one of the less experienced people in the group, I never once felt out of place or disregarded. Thanks for a great experience.

Itinerary

Fly to Queenstown (ZQN airport code) arriving not later than April 20, 2020. To stave off jet lag and travel snafus, we strongly suggest arriving a day or two early, and spending some time in Auckland or Queenstown or both. Contact us for lodging recommendations!

April 20, 2020: 3.00 PM Guests already staying in Queenstown can be picked up at their hotel between 2:00 PM and 2:30 PM by arrangement. We’ll then drive straight to Wanaka via the Crown Range, and check into our hotel for a meet and greet followed by dinner at a local restaurant.

April 21, 2020: An early morning to take advantage of the great light at the famous Lone Tree in Roy‘s Bay at Lake Wanaka. After breakfast, we’ll divide the day between photographing Wanaka’s spectacular fall foliage and classroom time to review composition, light and post processing that will aid in all the photoshoots to come on our journey throughout the South island. Sunset shoot at Lake Hawea followed by dinner at our favourite restaurant.

April 22, 2020: Today will be an early start to meet our guides who will take us on an all-day adventure way up onto the steep hillsides overlooking Lake Wanaka, the Matukituki Valley and Mount Aspiring National Park. We'll have a picnic lunch and then, weather permitting, continue our adventure in helicopters to photograph the braided river and glaciers.

April 23, 2020: Sunrise photography at nearby Glendhu Bay, breakfast and checkout. Today we’ll be heading to the West Coast via the scenic Haast Pass, with several photographic locations at which to stop along the way. Sunset will be at Bruce Bay, after which we’ll check into our hotel in Fox Glacier, then dinner.

April 24, 2020: Early morning walk to Lake Matheson, where the fog lingers just below the towering mountains above, reflected in a mirrored lake. After a great breakfast, we'll spend some time reviewing images that we've captured thus far and enjoy a bit of down time. The sunset shoot will be along the beach at Bruce Bay. Dinner in Fox Glacier.

April 25, 2020: Sunrise shoot at Lake Mapourika, and then breakfast in the town of Franz Josef Glacier. We’ll photograph the kahikatea trees on the shore of Lake Wahapo before returning to our hotel for an image review and Lightroom tutorial session. Sunset on the beach near Fox Glacier.

April 26, 2020: Sunrise, breakfast and check-out. Today is a leisurely travel day as we drive to the Mackenzie Basin and Aoraki-Mount Cook National Park. We will stop at several places to photograph along the way to break the journey, including a rain forest and a dramatic river chasm, before arriving in Twizel in the early evening, dining before we get there.

April 27, 2020: We have reserved helicopters for an unforgettable doors-off flight at sunrise on one of the three mornings we're in Twizel. Based on the day’s weather, we'll take off at sun-up and fly through the Tasman Valley, past Mount Sefton and onwards for a dramatic close-up view of the summit of Mount Cook in the dawn light. We’ll then look down over the braided Tasman and Godley rivers, photographing them from this unique perspective. After breakfast we’ll take some down-time before heading out in the afternoon to photograph in the Hooker Valley until sunset, followed by dinner at Mount Cook Village.

April 28, 2020: Sunrise at Peter’s Lookout for a picture-perfect view of Aoraki-Mount Cook at the head of Lake Pukaki. After breakfast we’ll spend more time photographing around the nearby scenic lakes, Tekapo and Alexandrina. We will have an early dinner at Lake Tekapo Village followed by some night photography. This area is the world’s largest dark sky reserve and offers spectacular opportunities for photographing the milky way on clear nights.

April 29, 2020: Sunrise at one of several great locations along Lake Pukaki, followed by breakfast and check-out. We’ll be making our way back to Queenstown, photographing some nearby lagoons and Lindis Pass as we go. We’ll arrive in Queenstown for an early check-in at our last hotel, and in the afternoon we’ll visit Moke Lake and a sunset spot on the shore of Lake Wakatipu, before returning to town for a farewell dinner at our favourite neighbourhood restaurant.

April 30, 2020: Our final sunrise shoot will be followed by breakfast and checkout. Book your departing flights for no earlier than 1:00 PM April 30, 2020.

Payment Terms

Your deposit of $4,000 will hold your place on this workshop. Further payment of $3,000 is due by November 1, 2019, and the balance of $3,495 will be due not later than January 1, 2020. All of our standard terms and conditions apply. Need special payment arrangements for your deposit? No problem, just ask us.

Additional Information

For an amazing small group photo experience during the beautiful New Zealand fall, click the “Sign Me Up!” button, and we‘ll see you in New Zealand! Got questions?

Gallery

Muench Workshops offers personal instruction and an all-inclusive experience so you can focus on your photography. Founded in 2007, we collaborate with the best pros and local guides to offer the ultimate learning environment for landscape and wildlife photographers, so you can best capture our beautiful planet.